Judging Others 2 Kings 2:23-25 8-30-98

2 Kings 2:23-25

The moral of this story is clear -- don't make fun of people who are losing their hair. They may be God's people, there may be trouble in it for you.

The moral is clear -- be careful about judging others. Elisha was God's man; he just came from doing a miracle...be careful.

There's a particular United Methodist minister who I did not care for -- his ways, his benefits, his politics. This week I heard Mayor Emanuel Cleaver speak. You may not like his politics, but I have a new respect for the work of God in his life.

The boys bashed Elisha, I judged the mayor, who have you held in contempt?

From the "only one thing at a time" department: when we judge, we waste our time, doing evil. We spend our time doing evil, when we could be doing good.

When we look at God's people and say "What is wrong with them?" -- we are implying that something is wrong with God!

We demean others to the detriment of ourselves. We may not be mauled by bears, but there is trouble ahead for those who sow negative seeds. People don't need to be judged or demeaned, they need to be loved and affirmed, to be believed in.

Prov. 12:25 "Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop; but a good word maketh it glad." Jesus took a ragtag bunch of fault-laden fellows and made them into a group that changed the world. Take Peter -- cuts off a soldier's ear, denies Jesus 3 times.....what does Jesus see? "Upon this rock, upon people like this, I will build my church."

What is God calling you to do? Do it. Do not be deterred by those around you. It's important to bring a word of encouragement to share love. Babies wither without love; so do adults. We need someone to believe in us, and those around you need someone to believe in them.

Yet when it comes to how we treat one another, we have a way to go yet. Use your day, use your time, to build others up, not to tear them down. People tend to rise to the top when they know that someone believes in them. I want you to know today that I believe in you, as individuals and as a church. I believe in who we are, I believe in where we are going.

So, lay off the old guys, the slow guys, the mean guys, the guys you don't understand, the bald guys. For they may be one of God's guys. Find some way to show them that you care, that you believe in what God may be trying to do in them. Amen.